Walford hits game-winner as Firebirds win 69-68

For the second time in as many games Maddy Walford delivered in the clutch and lifted Devils Lake to a high school girls basketball victory.

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Devils Lake Journal - Devils Lake, ND

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Posted Jan. 22, 2013 at 10:24 AM
Updated Jan 22, 2013 at 10:26 AM

Posted Jan. 22, 2013 at 10:24 AM
Updated Jan 22, 2013 at 10:26 AM

Journal Staff Report
For the second time in as many games Maddy Walford delivered in the clutch and lifted Devils Lake to a high school girls basketball victory.
Walford, whose game-winner with 13.6 seconds remaining in the game lifted Devils Lake to a 67-66 win over Valley City on Jan. 10, turned the trick once again on Friday as the Firebirds rallied past Fargo South 69-68 at the Devils Lake Sports Center.
The win shot the Firebirds to fourth place in the Eastern Dakota Conference standings. Devils Lake is now 4-4 in conference play, thanks in part to the victory over Valley City that counted as two points in the league standings. Devils Lake is 3-5 overall.
That Walford was in position to hit another game-winner was made possible by a furious rally on the part of the Firebirds in the waning seconds of the game.
And some luck.
Christa Lysne connected on a short jumper with just 1.2 seconds left in the game to pull the Firebirds to within 68-67 and forcing Devils Lake coach Justin Klein to call his final timeout.
Not even Klein could have drawn up the sequence that followed.
Fargo South’s attempt to throw the ball inbounds went awry as the throw hit off the backboard and giving the ball to the Firebirds for the late heroics.
Walford screened across the lane, took a pass and hit on a short jumper just ahead of the final buzzer to grab the victory for the Firebirds.
Lysne and Emily Schafer both scored 20 points to lead Devils Lake in scoring and Walford finished with nine points in the game.
Fargo South (2-5/3-5) was paced by Emily Stroup’s game-high 23 points and Madelyn Strandemo added 17 points.
Fargo South (68): E. Stroup 23, M Strandemo 17, A. May 9, B. Taber 7, M. Erickson 6, A. Freidt 6.
Devils Lake (69): Christa Lysne 20, Emily Schafer 20, Maddy Walford 9, Dru Lunday 6, Jadyn Fee 5, Taylor Swanson 5, Alexa Gathman 2, Morghan Carew 2.
Halftime: 37-37.